


Dhà a thig gun iarraidh - gaol is eagal

by Treetart



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: Clone Wars (2003) - All Media Types, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Possessive Cody, Smut, Suicide Idealization, Wall Sex, angry make outs, obi: why would i apologize when i can be sassy, rako hardeen arc, trigger warning, what is smut without a little bit of angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-06
Updated: 2020-08-14
Packaged: 2021-03-02 01:48:23
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 14,337
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23517178
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Treetart/pseuds/Treetart
Summary: Two that come unbidden - love and fear.Post Rako Hardeen. Obi-Wan returns and now has to face everyone he lied to, including his very pissed off Commander.
Relationships: CC-2224 | Cody/Obi-Wan Kenobi
Comments: 87
Kudos: 486





	1. Ni ceta

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to all the helpful Discord pals. Especially Wholly with the galaxy brain.

Cody should be with the rest of the 212th welcoming their general back. He should have stayed in the room after their general was revealed to have been alive this entire time. He should not have felt shock, followed by the white hot fury that shot through him at the sight of his general smiling meekly at them. It was hard to believe it even was his general, with his shaved head and jaw. He should have walked up to him and greeted him, like a good commander, instead of making an immediate about face and walking out of the room. 

He could barely put together the past few months that his… Ob-.. the General had been _missing._ The wording brought a fresh wave of anger through him. _He’s back from his mission._ That’s how it was brought to him. That General Kenobi was back from a mission. A mission he had been killed to do. Without a single word to Skywalker. Ahsoka. _Not even his own Commander_. Cody found himself in the training rooms he had been frequently hiding himself in while he processed the death of his General. He had spent so many nights working himself to exhaustion and trying not to cry. Rex had found him on more than one occasion and brought him back to his room, speaking softly into his ear in Mando’a with comforting words. As comforting as he could be given the situation. And now Cody finds that all of that was for nothing. 

Cody’s fist firmly planted itself into the face of a training dummy. He did not even bother wrapping his hands, or stripping down to his blacks. He did not come here to work out. He wanted to break something. How could the Jedi Council do this to them? Lead them to believe that their own General had been killed and not even let them go to the funeral. Cody had not even been informed until well after it happened. He had had to lock his knees and grip his hands firmly behind him while they were informed of the supposed assassination. He held it together long enough to send his _vod_ back to their rooms to mourn, excusing any non-essential work from them so they could have time to put themselves together. Cody himself had not made it back to his own rooms until far too late in that night’s cycle, sleep not finding him that night.

He did not want to think about it now. All he wanted to do now was break as many training dummies that he could get his hands on. He still gripped the faceplate of the first one. Looking down at his own clenched hands he found himself shaking. Before he knew it, he fell to his knees, a sob breaking from him without his permission. 

What was he supposed to do now? Act like the past few months had not happened? That it had not broken him down to his core? So many of his brothers had fought in battles thinking their general had died, many of them marching onward thinking they would meet their general. Cody clenched the metal in his hands until the sharp edges broke through his gloves and cut into his hands. 

A soft knocking on the wall near the entrance to the training room made him look up. It was Ob--. _Kenobi_. Anger mixed with sadness welled up within him again. He did not want to deal with this right now. 

“Commander.” It was odd hearing the man’s voice. Especially with how different he looked. Clean shaven all over, like a shiny. 

Cody stood up quickly and placed the broken dummy head back on top of the rest of the contraption. He did not want to do this here. Not so soon.

“Cody,” his-- the general seemed to be testing the waters “I was wondering if you wanted to have a cup of tea and catch me up on what I have missed while I have been ---” the man abruptly stopped as Cody turned, spine durasteel straight, and faced him. Helmet or not, Cody knew the _jetti_ could tell how angry he was. _Away._ The word was left unspoken but Cody felt it to his core. 

“Dead.” 

“What?” Obi-Wan’s face fell as he attempted to look into Cody’s eyes through the visor. Cody was glad he still has his helmet on. 

“While you were dead. While you let _us_ think you were dead. You don’t get to say _away_ to me.”

“Cody,” Kenobi stopped when Cody’s hand shot up in a stopping motion. He shook his head and his angry breaths could be heard through his helmet’s ventilation. 

“ **You don’t get to call me that**.” The _di’kut_ of a _jetti_ blinked at him in confusion. He did not realize he had completely lost the trust he had earned with his Commander. The privilege of knowing his name, not just a number. Cody yanked his helmet off and threw it to the ground, advancing angrily on the other man.

“You let me think you were dead. You don’t get to use my name. Do you have any idea how the last few months have been? How many of my brother’s died, thinking they would be meeting you after? How many times I had to hold one of my own _vod_ as they died in my arms?” Cody jammed an accusing finger into the other man’s chest. The hurt and regret that passed through Kenobi’s eyes almost made him feel a bit bad for what the _jetti_ now had to pick up after all this. Almost. He had already backed the man up against the wall, and Kenobi had raised his hands in an unconscious sign of submission. 

“I -,” He paused. Emotion strong in his voice. “I know that there is no way to make up for any of this.” 

Cody turned away from him. He did not want to even humor an apology right now. What did Kenobi think? That an ‘ _I_ _’m sorry I was dead, now let's act like none of this happened?’_ would make everything normal? Cody knew he was being unfair but he didn’t care. All he could focus on right now was anger for his brothers. He did not want to even think about his own feelings. 

A hand on his shoulder mildly surprised him, but he granted Kenobi a glance. 

“Cody, my de--”

“Don’t.” Cody peeled the hand off of his shoulder. He refused to acknowledge the hurt expression that flashed across the other man’s face. 

“I have to get back to work.” Cody swiftly walked out of the room, without even a glance behind him. He couldn’t do this right now. He wouldn’t.

~~~~~~

Short of several required meetings, Cody successfully managed to keep his general at a distance during the next few rotations. The fact that his helmet showed up at his door after their initial, and first real fight now that he thought of it, was left unspoken. Cody attempted to drown himself in all of the paperwork he now had to do. While he had kept up with a lot of it during … his generals _absence_ … there were a lot of reports he had refused to look at, mostly because they required his general’s signature and he did not even want to think about forging the signature. Now that the man was _back_ , Cody forwarded the ridiculous amount of items needing his signature directly to him. Their routine before had the commander signing most of the documents, short of something he deemed important enough for the general to look at himself. Now, Cody just felt like sending him the extra work. Petty, yes. But it was the one thing that he could do short of decking his general to make himself feel slightly better.

Cody made to leave yet another officer meeting as soon as it ended. He could see Kenobi attempting to catch his attention out of the corner of his eye, but he was not having it. He let his other _vod_ out ahead of him, Boil glanced at him briefly, sensing a fall out about to occur. Cody simply shook his head and motioned for him to keep going. 

“Commander.” 

Cody halted in his tracks, quietly composed his face, and turned.

“Sir.”

“We need to talk.”

“About the mission, sir?” 

“No, about us--”

“Then we do not need to talk, sir.” Cody may have said it a little harshly, but he still nursed what felt like dozens of open wounds. He most certainly did not run from the room, no matter what it may have looked like.

“Commander, wait!”

Cody deliberately ignored him, walking swiftly back to his own rooms. 

“I am _truly_ sorry for the pain I have caused everyone. I had not intended for this to happen, but the Council made their decisio--”

“The Council? Really? That’s the only party to blame here?” Cody stopped in his tracks and wheeled around at the Jedi. Anger clearly etched into his features.

“It was not my decision to make.” 

Something flashed across Cody’s face at the notion. He let out a contained breath and glanced around them. 

“Sir, can we take this somewhere private?” Cody did not wait for an answer, he made his way further down the hall and into a small supply room. As soon as the doors closed, he grabbed Obi-Wan by the shoulder.

“Cody--” 

Cody didn’t let him finish. He pulled his arm back and punched the _di’kut_ squarely in the face. The Jedi cursed and immediately covered his face with a hand. Finally, Cody saw some anger in the man’s eyes. 

“Not your decision? How was it not your decision to deliberately lie to us. To me! You lied to _me!_ ” 

Cody started pushing the general against the wall, grabbing the folds of the Jedi’s robes and found himself leaning in, breathing the same air. Their lips almost touching with every breath they took. Cody could feel the tension coiling in him, he relished in it. Obi-Wan’s eyes drifted down towards his lips several times before Cody lifted his head slightly in a challenge. Obi-Wan’s own hands had found their way to the small openings in Cody’s armor at his waist and gripped it as much as he could manage, pulling their bodies even closer.

Cody’s control slipped. He crashed their lips together in an almost brutal kiss. Hunger and anger that had him grip tightly onto Obi-Wan, pressing their bodies together as he licked and bit at the red-head’s lips. His fingers dug into the fabric in front of him, slamming the other man against the wall. Obi-Wan didn’t hesitate, following the moment he somehow leveraged himself up to wrap his legs around Cody’s waist, soft skin colliding with his armor roughly. Cody practically growled into the kiss at the pressure, gloved hands trailing down the man’s side before grabbing his ass firmly in retaliation. 

Obi-Wan broke their rough kiss, panting, his head resting against the wall. Cody quickly moved in under the man’s jaw, open-mouthed kisses trailing down his neck before turning into light bites. Cody moved a hand up to push Obi-Wan’s tunic out of the way, biting down where his neck met his shoulder. Obi-Wan’s hand wrapped around the back of Cody’s neck, the only patch of skin on his body not covered in armor, pulling him closer as he offered more of his throat to him. Cody nipped sharply as he worked his way to the man’s collar bone, teeth scraping across it, causing Obi-Wan to shudder against him. Cody pulled back for a moment to see the marks already forming on the Jedi’s pale skin.

“ _Ner jetti,_ ” he growled, kissing the offered flesh, “ _gar’ner._ ” 

This time, Cody sunk his teeth harder into the _jetti’s_ neck, knowing it would leave a dark bruise for days. Obi-Wan gasped, the hand that was around Cody’s neck squeezing its grip even tighter, his nails digging in firmly. His hips jerked against Cody’s own, a reaction to the rough bite. Obi-Wan’s free hand forced Cody to look up at him, nipping at his mouth before kissing him firmly, doing his best to rub his hips against Cody’s own. Cody’s hips bucked up, unable to feel any sort of contact other than pressure against his codpiece. 

The kiss was a welcome distraction from Cody’s thoughts, which had already started to show him various positions he could have with _his_ _jetti_ right now. Specifically seeing Obi-Wan’s flushed face while his general was on his knees in front of him. Cody rolled his hips against him, earning a muffled moan that broke their kiss. Cody kissed him again, rough and hungry, before moving down to take advantage of that exposed neckline again. The bites on Obi-Wan’s neck and collarbone were blooming red, but it wasn’t enough. Cody wanted to lay claim to him. He never wanted the man out of his sight. The urge to mark him surged back into him, Cody quickly moved to the other side of Obi-Wan’s neck, teeth grazing against the skin before he bit down. Obi-Wan’s body pushed against his again, Cody disregarded the pain of his own codpiece being pressed down against his too tight pants.

“ _Cody_ ,” Obi-Wan moaned into his ear, a free hand pulling at Cody’s shortly cut hair.

Cody felt like a bucket of ice water had been dumped over him.

Obi-Wan clearly felt the sudden change and dislodged himself from his commander. Cody slowly pulled away from the other man, he could feel his anger flaring up again at the use of his name. He had not meant to react like this. He was still furious. But he had missed his _di’kut jetti_ so _kriffing_ much.

“Cody?” Unfortunately for Obi-Wan, that was precisely the wrong thing to say.

Cody made to punch him again, but Obi-Wan moved out of the way quickly, sweeping his commander’s legs out from under him. Cody was already too unsteady from their sudden actions to prevent himself from falling to the ground, hard. He yanked the other man down with him, effectively pinning him to the ground. 

“You could have told me! Your second in command! A note, a message, _anything!_ I wouldn’t have told a soul.” 

“The Council---”

“Forced your hand? As if you didn’t have a choice in accepting it? Or even how it happened? You said you’d always be there for me and you left! Why can’t you just admit that you made a mistake, _huut’un!_ ”

Cody stopped to catch his breath, he was so _angry_ , he barely felt the hold that the Jedi had had on his hands loosen. He glanced down again, ready to push against whatever the man would throw at him. He wanted to make Obi-Wan mad, he wanted to knock through that wall of composure and have him _react_.

Looking at his face, Cody saw that he had busted open the Jedi's eyebrow and a large bruise was already starting to form around his eye. A small amount of guilt passed through him, making him hesitate long enough for Obi-Wan to swing his leg up and flip their positions. He slammed Cody down on the floor, his eyes snapping with anger, but no small amount of guilt filled them. They quickly softened.

“I am truly sorry, my dear.” Obi-Wan gently leaned down to press his forehead against his commander's own. “I cannot know what to do to fix this until you talk to me.”

“There were times,” Cody closed his eyes, he could not meet the other man’s eyes “that putting that _kriffing_ blaster in my mouth seemed like the only option.”

Cody heard Obi-Wan choke on his own breath as he pressed their foreheads together a little harder. 

“ _Ni ceta, ni ceta._ ” Cody felt hot tears fall on to his face. Cody maneuvered his hands out of the man’s grasp, cupping his face as he held their Keldabe kiss. 

“ _Gar’haati?_ Promise me, you won’t leave me like that again. _Gedet’ye, ner jetti, gedet’ye._ ”

The silence that followed Cody’s plea was not a comfortable one. Cody knew, he knew he could not ask this of Obi-Wan. And yet-

“ _Gedet’ye,_ Obi-Wan.” Cody felt his desperation surging through him. He _needed_ this. Cody tried not to clench his hands, but the silence was deafening. Cody finally opened his eyes to meet the Jedi’s own. The uncertainty Cody saw in those tear-filled eyes was enough for him to know the answer. 

“Fine.” Cody barely kept down the anger rising in him. “ _Fine_.” He lifted Obi— _the general_ off of him and stood. Cody slid a hand down his face to remove the wetness there and let out a frustrated huff. He looked down at Ob— the general, who remained where Cody had placed him, gazing up at him sadly. 

Cody turned and left him there. 


	2. K'olar

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Undercover missions are totally fine, even if you're not on good terms with your General. Right? Right.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wholly and Crab back at it again with the big brains. Also you're welcome jat'ad. 
> 
> Please let me know if I have missed any translations!

Meetings had gotten -- strictly professional. The usual warmth and joy he felt when in the company of his commander had gone. Only the direct, stone faced man remained. Obi-Wan missed their usual meetings dearly, but he respected his decision. Obi-Wan was not in the position to decide how Co-- _his commander_ needed to heal. He stopped trying to catch the man’s eye before he left, knowing it was not his place to send out the olive branch at this point. 

Cody was the one, after all, who had placed the wall between them. As much as Obi-Wan wanted to break it down, the other man needed time, and Obi-Wan intended to give him as much as he needed.

He found himself wandering the halls of the _Negotiator_ for yet another night. It had not been more than two rotations since the -- incident with his commander. He could not even begin to cast his emotions out into the Force when he had giant reminders marking his neck and collar bones. His collar bones were easy to keep hidden under his robes, but he had needed to use some of his bacta patches he kept in his rooms to hide the prominent ones on either side of his neck. He did not even consider going to a healer, he did not think he could pass them off for anything than what they truly were. Possessive marks. From _his al’verde._ Obi-Wan found himself mindlessly pressing them as he paced through the halls. This late in the rotation, no one else was around to see him indulge in the feeling. He kept finding his way towards Cod-- his commander’s room. His curiosity ate away at him. He ached to speak to the man again, even if it was only to be told off again. Anything was better than the cool, professional treatment he had been given since. 

Obi-Wan cautiously approached his commander’s door, gently placing a hand on the cool durasteel separating them. Leaning his forehead against it, he spread his awareness into the room, searching for the other man. The overwhelming sea of emotions forced him to take a step back, mentally and physically. The anger, he had expected, but the guilt, sorrow, and utter _longing_ surprised him. He clenched his fist against the door, knowing he would not be welcomed in any sense in the other man’s presence. He could not prevent himself from continuing to reach out, his own longing and sorrow much stronger than he had expected. 

Suddenly, the emotions in the room slammed shut behind a solid wall. _Kriff_. Obi-Wan had not intended to interfere in the one place Cody could be himself. Before he could mess up anything else, the Jedi fled back to his rooms.

Only just missing his commander’s door opening.

~~~~~ 

Cody had been confused at first when Kenobi had approached him for the mission. It was a simple undercover mission and he hardly needed the back up, but of course Cody was not going to say no. He was more surprised at Kenobi asking him to come with him, alone, for it. A knock on his door broke his train of thought as he packed. 

“Come in.” He barely glanced behind him as the doors slid open. Rex. Of course. 

“Are you sure about this?” Rex was direct, if anything. Stood with his arms crossed, blocking the doorway, as if to prevent Cody from escaping this conversation. Cody sighed and placed his bucket next to his bag.

“It’s just an undercover mission, Rex. Nothing we haven’t done before.” 

“What do you even need this for when you refuse to communicate with your own _jetti_.” Rex scuffed and approached him, flicking the antenna on Cody’s bucket. 

“We have talked.”

“Yea, right, I saw those marks on his neck. You two did not talk. You won’t even look at him anymore.” The concern in Rex’s face was genuine, but this was not a conversation Cody wanted to have.

“Listen, he made his position clear to me. I am more than capable of performing my duties adequately. A simple undercover mission isn’t going to kill me.”

“That’s not what I’m worried about, _vod._ ” Rex gripped Cody’s arm meaningfully, but left him to finish packing alone. 

~~~~

  
  


The journey over to the planet their target was located on was not exactly tense, but distant to say the least. Kenobi spent most of his time meditating, which Cody could not fault him for. The man had simply handed him a bundle containing his disguise before moving to sit on the opposite end of the ship. The few times Cody read out their location to keep him updated, the man simply nodded. Cody had yet the change, having some mild anxiety about leaving the controls unattended. As if on cue, a voice suddenly spoke up behind him.

“Go ahead and change, Commander, I can mind the controls.” Kenobi did not meet his eyes when he turned to face him, but offered a small tight lipped smile. Cody felt a twinge in his heart at the sight. 

“Of course, sir.”

The small ‘fresher on the ship would have to do as a changing room, since they had only been given a ship to make a quick trip, so it lacked many of the luxuries that they had on _The Negotiator._

The contents of the package… surprised Cody, in the mildest of senses. He wasn’t sure what he had been expecting, but well fitted dark denim pants, a sleeveless white undershirt, and a dark leather jacket were not it. Regardless, he changed into the outfit and the mirror showed him that they fit perfectly, of course. Perks of being a clone. Most of their sizes were standard throughout his brothers, short of some extra muscle tone here and there. Cody was glad of the sleeveless shirt, he didn’t want to worry about ripping through the thin material during any of this. He had only ripped a shirt while moving once before, well twice. But that second time was mostly Wolffe’s fault for trying to ask him to arm wrestle while they were drinking. He folded up his blacks and carefully placed them into the bag his disguise had been in. His armor would just have to be fine in the neat pile they currently were stacked in. 

Exiting the ‘fresher, Cody needlessly pulled at his clothing, suddenly concerned about how he looked. He was just about to ask Kenobi if the disguise was alright when he stopped dead in his tracks. The Jedi had changed his clothes as well. He now wore a long, maroon, loose fitting sheer shirt that almost completely showed off his torso were it not for the cropped undershirt concealing him from just above his belly button and up. He also had on tight fitting, seemingly leather pants that _laced up_ behind him. 

Cody must have made some sort of noise because suddenly his General was looking at him. Cody would have caught him doing a double take, if he had not been so distracted by his Jedi’s attire. Cody cleared his throat and spread out his arms idley. 

“Is this alright?” Obi-Wan blinked several times before responding.

“Y-yes. I’m told these designs are quite popular where we are going.”

“As you say, sir.” Cody specifically did not look at his general as he made his way back to his seat. They would be landing soon and he needed to focus. 

~~~~

Two drinks and a corner table later, they still had not found their target. It did not help that some sort of event was occuring nearby, leading to a very full bar. It helped Cody keep to himself and make it less obvious about the steady eye he kept on his general, but it did make it a lot harder to keep that eye on the man in the throng of people crowding around the bartender. He was glad that his Jedi’s hair had finally grown back to an acceptable length. The man had looked too odd without it, distinctly reminding Cody of a shiny which gave the 212th way more anxiety about keeping the man safe. 

Cody ran through their plan several times in his head, mostly to reassure himself that he could still perform his duties without issue. _Told you so, Rex._ Cody was only here as protection. Act as a man just having a drink on his own at a table in the back, while Kenobi sat at the bar speaking to patrons and looking absolutely beautiful. _Wait. Not that_. Cody shook his head. He knew having an actual drink instead of just water would make his cover cleaner, but he was getting a bit too relaxed. Kenobi would happen to attract their target’s attention, whether he made his way over to them or what, and attempt to extract the information needed from them with that famous silver tongue. He would give Cody a signal when he had found their target, another when he had gotten their information, and a final one when it was time to leave. He had not been specific on the signal, but Cody knew he would give him a clear one, even if it was just catching his eyes.

He had only just started his third drink when he saw Kenobi’s entirely demeanor shift to focus on the person next to him. Cody’s glass moved without his touch slightly across the table. _Very funny, sir._ He projected loudly. Message received. That was their target. Cody increased his glances over to them, and found himself needing to shake himself out of drinking in the Jedi’s image. Kenobi was an expert at persuasion, of course. But now he smirked at the other man, laughing prettily, occasionally touching the man’s arm. His sheer shirt clung to his body like a second skin around his shoulders, clearly showing the defined muscles under the material. Their target turned to get something from the bartender, and Kenobi met his eyes from across the room, heat evident in the glance. Cody choked slightly on his drink. Enough for the other man to notice and give him a slight smirk before turning back to their target. He must have gotten the information they needed. 

Cody quickly cleared off the spilled drink from his face and jacket, when he looked back at the Jedi, he saw that their target had moved his hand on to the man’s thigh. From Cody’s angle, he could see the expression on his generals face, and the look he gave their target. The sight made the small burning coil of anger that lingered in his stomach flare. While the bruises on Kenobi’s neck had faded completely due to the bacta patches Cody saw the man wear, he had not put anything on the ones by his collar bone, only just visible through the sheer shirt. A wave of possessiveness sent a shiver down his spine, just as _his Jedi’s_ eyes met his again over their target’s shoulder. Cody watched as his Jedi moved his hand up and placed it along their target’s neck, long fingers lingering in the man’s hair. He kept his gaze with Cody with a slight smirk, raising an eyebrow slightly in a clear _and what are you going to do about it?_ Cody knew this was just for the mission, and they were both drinking, but it did not prevent jealousy from rearing its head as he huffed out a breath and narrowed his eyes. The gleam in the man's eyes should have alerted the commander that he was about to take it a step further. But Cody had finally had enough as he watched the Jedi lean in and whisper something in their target's ear, all while maintaining heated eye contact with his commander. 

Cody slammed his drink down on his table, swiftly standing up and marching over to _his_ general. 

“ _Ma’bana? What do you think you are doing?_ ” Cody asked him roughly, not even realizing what he was saying before the words left his mouth in Mando’a. 

The look on their target's face would have been priceless if Cody had not been so worked up. The man immediately back off, hands raised defensively, not understanding what Cody had said but clearly understanding the tone. Kenobi, on the other hand, smirked delightedly at him and leaned back on the bar behind him. 

“Hey, man, I’m not trying to seduce your husband, he was flirting with me.” 

Cody barely glanced at him in acknowledgement, but whatever look he saw on Cody's face sent the man running from the bar. He grabbed the jedi by the elbow and all but dragged him back to their ship. He was surprisingly steady, even if Cody had witnessed him drink a bit more than he had. But he guessed the man had a higher tolerance than most of his brothers, being a jedi and all. He barely took in their surroundings as he made a beeline back to where they had landed, his mind completely focused on getting them off this planet as soon as possible. He unceremoniously pulled Kenobi into the ship, letting go of his elbow now that they were finally on board, and quickly closed the hatch behind him. 

“Well, at least my last signal was clear.” Kenobi joked, a flush tinting his freckled cheekbones. Cody jabbed their coordinates into the computer and started the auto pilot before rounding on the man. He still stood where Cody had left him, swaying slightly, clearly more relaxed than he had been in awhile. Cody practically ripping off his jacket and throwing it to the ground made him jump and finally focus on his pissed off commander. 

“What the _kriff_ was that?” Cody crossed his arms tightly. 

“What was what?” the man asked mildly, the picture of innocence. 

_“Copaani mirshmure’cye?”_

Kenobi laughed at the question. 

“How else was I supposed to get his attention, _ner’al’verde?”_

“By _talking_ to him, like we had planned.”

“It’s not my fault that the easiest way to get our information was through a little flirting.” The jedi raised his shoulders in a meek shrug, and Cody’s eyes were drawn yet again to how the fabric pulled across the practically exposed skin beneath it. Cody blinked rapidly to regain his focus. 

“Well then, it seems that _nothing_ is your fault.” He knew the jab was cheap even before he finished it, but the anger deep in his stomach still flared. Anger flashed clearly across the other man’s face, the Jedi defiantly raised his chin up with his jaw clenched tightly, his steely gaze fixed on Cody. 

“What are you going to do about it, _al’verde?”_ His voice was rough and yet it still sent a shiver of anger through Cody’s spine. He clenched his fists before pointing to a spot just in front of himself. 

“ _K’olar!_ ” The commander ordered, and was surprised at the immediate reaction from the general. Cody used the entire amount of their limited height difference to look down at the other man. He firmly grabbed the Jedi’s chin to tilt his gaze up to meet his. 

“What part of _gar’ner_ do you not understand?” The deep huskiness in his voice caused a flicker to pass through Kenobi’s eyes. Cody could feel him leaning into his hold. 

“Well, you haven’t done much to prove it.” The flippant comment was laced with underlying anger.

“You want me to prove it?” Cody’s hand moved to grip his general by the throat, slamming him against the ship’s wall. He quickly moved into the other man’s space, face dangerously close and eyes locked. Kenobi’s hands automatically moved to grip his own, but he made no attempt to free himself. 

“ _Fine.”_ Cody crashed their lips together in a searing kiss, free hand gripping Obi-Wan by the waist, digging into that leather fabric. He jammed his leg between the Jedi’s own, forcing his thigh up until it met his crotch, lifting him slightly. Obi-Wan’s own thighs squeezed around his involuntarily and pushed a breathy, low moan from his lips. Cody broke their kiss, adjusting his hand to angle Obi-Wan’s face to the side, exposing his pale neck. Cody moved his thumb along the man's finally bearded jaw, eyes drinking in the sight of him. He could still faintly spot where he had marked him before, especially around his collarbone. And if the man wanted Cody to make a point of his claim, who was he to deny him. 

Cody took his time, slowly moving down _his_ _jetti’s_ neck, renewing previous marks and making a few news ones just to prove a point. The noises Cody’s efforts pulled from the man sent blood rushing quickly down to the commanders crotch. Obi-Wan’s hands grasped desperately at Cody’s bare arms, nails digging into the muscles he found here. Cody had finally worked his way down to where neck met shoulder. He bit firmly down on the junction and was immediately rewarded with Obi-Wan’s restrained yet frantic movements against him. Cody could feel how firmly the other man pressed himself down on his thigh and smiled. 

“ _Gar’ner, tayli’bac?”_ Cody shoved his thigh up again to drive the point home. Obi-Wan only nodded against him, and Cody pulled away from his neck to meet his eyes. 

“I said, _tayli’bac?”_ He pressed Obi-Wan a little more firmly against the wall with the hand he still had around the Jedi’s throat. 

“Y-yes.” Obi-Wan managed, his breath ragged. “I’m yours. I’m yours. _Ni’gar_.”

“Good.” Cody brought him in for another rough kiss, relishing the choked off moan Obi-Wan gave him. Cody’s hands wandered down to pull at the lacing holding the man’s pants together. Obi-Wan broke their kiss and buried his head into Cody’s neck.

“ _Gedet’ye, gedet’ye ni linibar.”_ The Jedi’s pleas were muffled into the open mouthed kisses he pressed onto the commander’s racing pulse.

“ _Ni kar’taylir._ _Ni’narsir dinuir bic gar.”_ Cody made quick work of the lacing and grabbed at the firm muscle of his general’s ass **.** He didn’t question where the small bottle of lube that was being frantically pressed into his hand came from, especially when Obi-Wan proceeded to wrap his legs around Cody’s waist, mirroring their previous encounter. Cody chuckled.

“ _Jat’ad.”_ With his hands now freed from keeping the other man up, Cody easily slicked two fingers and brought them down to tease at Obi-Wan’s opening. The man clenched his legs tightly, pulling his head back to rest it against the wall as he panted heavily. Cody met his hooded eyes and raised an eyebrow in a final question of permission before they went any further. 

“Yes, _elek_ , yes--” Cody pushed one finger slowly inside, making sure his _jetti_ had time to adjust as he went. The encouraging moans the man gave him had Cody tempted to take him now, but settled on pushing another finger inside. Clearly, rough seemed to be the preference for now. He carefully scissored his fingers, waiting for Obi-Wan to relax around him. The general’s hands pulled weakly on Cody’s shirt and arms, clearly pleading for more. Cody made him wait as he prepped him, but moved his free hand up to the man’s mouth. He eagerly took two fingers into his mouth, sucking on them firmly and Cody gasped at the sensation. 

He slowly moved a third finger in as Obi-Wan moaned around the fingers in his mouth. The pressure in Cody’s pants was starting to become unbearable, especially with his _jetti_ lightly thrusting against him. 

“Please, I’m good. I’m ready, _please.”_ Obi-Wan held Cody’s hand against his face, placing a kiss on his open palm. Hearing his Jedi beg like this left his heart pounding and his toes curling in his boots, face overheating. He moved his hands to the wall on either side of Obi-Wan, the other man's hands quickly rushing to undo the buttons on denim pants. He took a moment to take Cody’s cock in hand, and Cody felt his brain go haywire, suddenly very glad that Obi-Wan was supporting himself with his legs tightly wrapped around him. He moaned as Obi-Wan ran a thumb over the head, legs shaking when he began long slow strokes down the shaft. The steady rhythm the man set on his cock had Cody gasping into Obi-Wan’s neck. 

“Are you just going to stand there or are you going to fuck me?” 

Cody huffed a laugh into the man’s neck before lightly biting at the skin in front of him. He planted his feet on the ground and firmly pushed up against Obi-Wan until their groins met, shoving a breathy moan out of the Jedi. Cody adjusted their positions so that his cock could line up properly.

“You’re so good for me,” he murmured, kissing Obi-Wan’s face lightly. “Tell me if it’s too much.” Cody pushed in slowly, and _oh_. Obi-Wan let out a slight whine and Cody paused in his efforts.

“No, no,” He buried his head into Cody’s neck, “keep going.”

Cody continued as slowly as he dared, the sensation of filling _his jetti_ so perfectly made Cody gasp. His hips met skin, seated deeply inside, Obi-Wan’s mouth fell open silently, hands shaking in their grip on Cody’s biceps. Cody drew him close and pressed light kisses on any and all of the skin he could reach before him.

“Breathe,” Cody chuckled, “you’re forgetting to breathe.” Obi-Wan huffed at him, but raised his head to lean back on the wall. 

“Bite me.”

“I already have.” Cody traced a finger down the neck in front of him, sending a shiver through Obi-Wan that made them both moan at the sensation. It was mostly will power that kept Cody from bucking up into the tight heat, he wanted to be sure that Obi-Wan would be okay before they continued. His Jedi’s thighs trembled in their hold around his waist, clearly neither of them were going to last long. Cody began slow movements, encouraged by the breathy groans and heated looks the man gave him. 

“ _Cody—“_ Obi-Wan’s nails dug firmly into Cody’s arms and the completely wrecked sound of his own name had Cody unable to hold back any longer. 

“You’re so good,” Cody murmured, “you're doing so good. _Jat’ad, jat’ad.”_ Cody’s heart thundered in his chest. He adjusted his hands to grip firmly on Obi-Wan’s ass, his thrusts turned frantic and desperate. He pushed his forehead to the other man’s, their foreheads slick with sweat. 

“Let me see you, _cyar'ika,_ I want to see you.” The tension coiled in his lower belly and threatened to snap. Obi-Wan’s eyes were hooded, but Cody could see his pupils were blown wide. He couldn’t even speak, he just moaned desperately in Cody’s hold. 

“Please, _cyar'ika_ , I need to see you.” Cody kissed him fiercely. “ _Ni kar’tayl gar darasuum.”_ Obi-Wan’s breath hitched and he was suddenly tumbling over the edge. Cody held him tightly as waves of pleasure shook his body, his own name whispered frantically out of those kissed bruised lips. Cody felt the odd sensation of the force that pushed him against the Jedi, Obi-Wan’s control clearly broken. 

Cody’s head fell forward as his release rocked through him, his mind went fuzzy as he dug his teeth into his Jedi’s shoulder. His knees were weak as he slowly brought them down to the floor, their chests heaving. Cody pressed open mouth kisses to the sweaty skin in front of him, as he murmured mindless words of affirmation. 

Obi-Wan’s hands moved to either side of Cody’s face as he moved him to look him in the face. Cody felt a wave of emotion that poured into him, a side effect of having broken down the Jedi’s carefully constructed barriers. Obi-Wan brought him in for the sweetest and most tender kiss Cody had ever experienced. He pulled back and a contemplative look crossed his face. 

“Did yo—“

Their communications panel beeped near them, causing them both to jump slightly. Rex’s voice floated through the ship. 

“Wake up, sleepy heads. I see you have the autopilot on. I’m sending you to docking bay 4. Meet you there in five.” 

Cody turned and shared a slightly panicked look with the other man. 

“I guess, we should uh.”

“Yea.”

They separated, limbs stiff from the… position they had been in for quite some time apparently. Cody let Obi-Wan use the fresher, his disguise was slightly more difficult to navigate than Cody’s own. He made quick work of changing, years of practice allowing him to slip into his blacks and clip on his armor in record time. He folded his rather sweat soaked disguise and hastily put it into the bag it came in. Hopefully he wouldn’t have to explain its condition. 

Obi-Wan emerged from the refresher in his usual robes, although Cody could not help but notice they were pulled slightly higher than usual. It did not completely cover the claiming marks he had so decisively made earlier, which sent a blush onto Cody’s cheeks. They stood facing each other, slightly awkward. 

“I, uh—“

“Would you—“

They both hurriedly spoke over each other, but stopped and laughed slightly when they realized. Obi-Wan’s hand moved to grip the side of his neck, a rare display of shyness. He seemed to hesitate on his word choice. 

“Would you—“ 

The hissing sound of the door opening cut off whatever he was going to say, allowing for Cody’s mind to make thousands of guesses before the door even opened fully. Rex stood in the opening, helmet off, clearly surprised at the sight before him. 

“Hello there, Rex.” His General was back to his cool and composed attitude, regardless of the ruffled hair and marks littering his skin. He nodded to the captain and headed out, only glancing back for a moment to give Cody a tight lipped smile before leaving the docking bay entirely. 

Rex turned with wide eyes on Cody. 

“Mind explaining what the _kriff_ happened in here?”

“I have no idea.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mando'a Key:
> 
> jetti - Jedi  
> di'kut - idiot  
> vod - brother  
> ner jetti - my Jedi  
> gar'ner - you're mine  
> kriff - basically fuck  
> Huut’un - coward  
> ni ceta - groveling apology  
> Gar'haati - you promise  
> Gedet'ye - please  
> k'olar! - get over here!/come here!  
> Ner'al'verde - my commander  
> Al'verde - commander  
> Copaani mirshmure’cye? - Are you looking for a smack in the face?  
> Tayli’bac? - got it? but super aggressive  
> cyar'ika - darling, sweetheart, beloved  
> jat'ad - good boy/girl  
> Ni kar'taylir - i know  
> Ni'narsir dinuir bic gar - i'm going to give it to you  
> elek - yes  
> ni kar’tayl gar darasuum - basically i love you


	3. Banthashit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will either of them talk to one another? No. Will someone have to force them into it? Probably. Will they get yelled at for having their head up their ass? YES

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Crab, Corran, and Wholly are absolute big brain friends and I don't know what I'd do without them

Obi-Wan had been surprised and delighted by the sudden call from his friend, Bail Organa. 

“Hello there, my friend. To what do I owe the pleasure?” The warmth in his voice was genuine, but it didn’t prevent the narrowing in his friend’s eyes. They fixated around his neck, where Obi-Wan quickly remembered that he had put on a turtleneck to cover the... marks left by his _very thorough_ commander. He felt a blush creep up onto his cheeks but refused to acknowledge the look.

“Is that a new shirt, Obi-Wan?” Bail’s blue, tinny face in the holocall raised an eyebrow. Force, Obi-Wan recognized that tone Bail always used to swindle and talk circles around other politicians. The same tone he had used to tease him about Satine so long ago. 

“Just a bit cold, my friend. Can I help you with something?” Obi-Wan responded flippantly, keeping his tone light, airy, innocent. His friend made a face that told him he saw right through it, but was willing to ignore it. 

“I have some business I’d like for you to see over with me. How quickly can you make it to Alderaan?” Bail crossed his arms and gave him a calculated look. 

“I can leave today. Anything dangerous? Should I bring anyone?”

“Nothing you can’t handle, my friend.” Bail shook his head with a smile. Obi-Wan gave him a questioning look, but Bail just flashed him a wink before ending the call.

_Hm. This was going to be trouble._ He trusted Bail to not put him into any real sort of trouble without backup, but he was concerned by his motives. Obi-Wan worried for a moment that his friend had somehow found out about… whatever was going on between himself and his commander. Obi-Wan did not even know what to call it. They had been thrown back to where they had been before, communicating only when needed - everything kept strictly business. Obi-Wan respected Cody’s need for space, and refused to push him into any sort of situation he was not comfortable with. He desperately wanted to speak with Cody, but he remembered the wave of emotion he felt from the man as they were interrupted. The biggest one being dread. Obi-Wan could only assume… he hated the idea, but he could only assume that he had pushed Cody too far and had forced the interaction and now his commander regretted it. Obi-Wan closed his eyes and put his face in his hands. How could he have done such a thing? To his most trusted friend no less. Well, perhaps not anymore. Obi-Wan grimaced. He had certainly ruined that. 

Anakin had been an easy rebound back into their normal relationship. His emotions ran hot regularly, and Obi-Wan just had to wait him out before he, or more realistically Padme, had talked himself down. Thinking of Padme just made Obi-Wan feel worse. What would Anakin have done? Would he have told Padme about the mission? Most likely. Anakin could not keep a secret to save his life. His supposedly secret calls to the senator were hardly hidden from his own troops, let alone his former master. Before… before all of this happened he would often joke with Cody about who would cave first and publicly reveal themselves, Anakin or Padme? Obi-Wan always had his credits on Anakin, but Cody often mentioned that the senator was far too comfortable around her friends and was bound to slip up eventually.

The memories of many nights spent with his commander brought a smile to his face and an ache in his heart. The ease Cody had felt around him not so long ago had vanished, replaced with a solid wall he normally kept up around the Council and other formal occasions. They often spoke late into each night's cycle, neither one wanting to leave each other’s presence, regardless of whatever the morning had in store for them. Obi-Wan always felt the force sing around his companion, a bright spot of light through all of the darkness he felt during this war. Cody’s easy smile, his laugh, the fondness Obi-Wan felt for him reminded him of the ocean. The tide would rise and fall but its presence remained. Seeing the empty couch beside him where Cody would normally sit with his datapads was like a stab in the chest. The few pillows that were on it were still in the position Cody liked to have them in. The idea of his commander not speaking to him again--- That wave of dread that had passed through Cody as Obi-Wan had been about to ask if he had meant-- if he had meant what he said. Obi-Wan knew it was too good to be true. Cody had been caught up in the moment and now dreaded Obi-Wan’s response. Obi-Wan tried not to get too wrapped up in the whirlwind of emotions ready to overtake him, but maybe just this once he could be allowed a good cry over what could have been.

As if on cue, his comm rang. Anakin. Of course.

“What is it, my former padawan?” Obi-Wan was glad that his voice came out solid and clear, he had been worried that his emotions would have overtaken him. 

“What if this had been a social call, Obi-Wan? I don’t always call you when I need something.”

Obi-Wan waited a moment for Anakin to try to come up with something.

“Okay, I do need something, I wanted to give R2 an upgrade but I can’t find the parts anywhere and I was wondering if your friend Dax could possibly…?”

“Anakin, you can’t keep asking my friends for blackmarket parts---”

“They aren’t _blackmarket parts---_ ”

“Regardless, you’ll have to ask him yourself, I’m needed on Alderaan. Bail just called me. Anakin, I need you to do me a favor.”

“Of course, Obi-Wan.”

“Can you let Commander Cody and the rest of the 212th where I’m going? Unfortunately, Bail said that it’s quite urgent and I need to leave immediately.”

“Of course.” The already distracted tone Anakin replied with was concerning, but Obi-Wan didn’t have time to press the issue.

“Thank you, Anakin. Don’t harass my friends too much.” He quickly ended the call before his former padawan could give a snarky reply. He had to pack, and more importantly he needed to get his emotions in check before he even walked near another force sensitive person. A full meditation would have to wait till he was on his way, but for now, he had to reign himself in. He folded himself into the familiar sitting position, and tried not to let his thoughts wander to the beautiful face of his commander.

~~~~~

Rex had finally convinced him that he had been in his funk long enough. Whatever conclusions he had drawn about the scene he walked into when he met them at the hanger had not been revealed to Cody, but Rex could tell that Cody was sulking over his general, _again._ Cody wouldn’t call it _sulking_ , specifically. _Thank you, Rex._ The look on his general’s face and his quick retreat from the hanger had only confirmed Cody’s guess on how Kenobi felt. Cody had gone too far, he had pushed the boundary on their relationship and promptly ruined the friendship they had been building for years. Cody put his face in his hands and groaned. He shouldn’t have been drinking, he shouldn’t have let Kenobi’s sass push him like that. The man had been drinking as well, and when had he not been sassy with him before? Cody had certainly been able to handle it in the past. Regardless, Cody could not blame his actions on drinking, they had been his own actions. He needed to apologize and try to put this all behind them, to save whatever he could of the friendship he cherished so much. 

Cody had been working up the courage to approach the man for about a cycle now, and finally made up his mind about what he would say. Before he even realized what he was doing, he found himself walking down the familiar path to his general’s room. He paused in front of the man’s door, hand hovering over the panel. It was hardly any different than before, typing in the code and entering Kenobi’s rooms unannounced. They had not actually had any down time for any of their usual-- Cody couldn’t bring himself to think about the evenings he had spent in Obi-Wan’s room, laughing about reports and chatting idly about whatever topics came to mind. Nothing had been forced in those evenings, just easy conversation as Cody attempted to reign in his heart from bursting forth from his chest. For the first time in a long time, Cody knocked.

Silence. 

The silence lasted far too long to be normal. Cody knocked again, before typing in the code to the man's room. The door open with a hiss of hydraulics and revealed-- 

An empty room. 

_Oh._

Cody glanced around the room, the sparse belongings the Jedi kept were not to be found. He had packed and left. He had left on a mission. Without him. Of course, Cody could hardly blame the man for not informing him of his every move now that Cody had so drastically stepped over the line in their-- whatever it was now. He felt the doors shut behind him and found himself very suddenly on his knees. He gripped aimlessly at the plating on his leg. 

_Oh._

He expected this. He knew Kenobi would leave, and yet he didn’t expect - he didn’t expect the ache in his heart to suddenly transform into a black hole. Any hope, any courage he had of apologizing gone in that instant, leaving an aching emptiness. It left him instantly drained, too tired for even tears. And the worst part is- It was all his fault. He had no one else to blame for the soul crushing feeling but himself. He let himself sit in Kenobi’s rooms a few moments longer, contemplating if they would be the last.

~~~~

Obi-Wan sat in Bail’s office, sipping from the cup of tea that had been placed before him. Bail had quite a serious expression on his face, fingers steepled in front of him. 

“I called you here for a personal meeting.” 

“Is that so?” Obi-Wan set his cup down gently, only just hiding his unease. Bail made a noncommittal noise before moving things about idly on his desk, clearly searching for the best way to approach the subject. 

“I have… become aware of a certain,” Bail glanced up at him, “situation with one of my friends. Normally, I’d wait for them to bring it up to me themselves but I don’t think they will. Their happiness is important to me and I don’t think they are willing to take the next steps to ensure this happiness.”

“And what would you like me to do here? Speak to your friend on your behalf?”

“My friend, I am asking you to get your head out of your ass.”

Obi-Wan sputtered through a sip of his tea, instantly regretting picking it back up. The banthashit eating grin on his friend’s face as he choked on his tea did not help his recovery.

“Excuse me?” He managed, setting his tea down for good and pounding on his chest.

“Obi-Wan, my friend, since when do you cover your neck when it is so beautiful out? I haven’t seen you so poorly cover a hickey since you were _not seeing_ that Duchess--”

“I was _not_ seeing the Duchess of--”

“Of course you weren’t.” Bail smiled widely at him, his eyes full of good humor and fondness. “So, who are they? Who is the lucky person who has claimed your affections? I have a guess, but I’d prefer it if you just told me.”

“There isn’t anyone, Bail.” Obi-Wan sighed, “If there was I would tell you.”

“No, you wouldn’t.”

“No, I wouldn’t.” They shared a laugh. It was nice being with Bail. The man always set him at ease. Obi-Wan relaxed into the cushions behind him running a hand through his hair before resting it onto his chin to stroke his beard thoughtfully. 

“I have quite ruined my chances with them, I think.” A cool hand suddenly on his neck pulled down the edge of his turtleneck a bit. Obi-Wan turned to see Breha Organa’s raised eyebrow.

“Somehow I doubt that.” She mentioned pointedly, bringing a tint of red to Obi-Wan’s cheeks. She sat in a chair near him, hands folding into her lap decidedly. Breha was not one to let anyone escape a question.

“It was, ah, it’s hard to explain.”

“So, explain.” Bail rested his chin on his fist, clearly indicating they would not move on from the subject.

“Did you really have me come all this way just to ask me if I’m _seeing_ anyone?” Both of his friends stared at him. _Yes, apparently._

“Fine.”

Obi-Wan gave a brief, and decidedly not explicit, summary of his return and his Commander’s reaction. His inability to give his word that he would not do it again. The recent mission, the argument after, and their awkward return. 

“-- and now we are back to square one. He will only speak to me regarding matters of importance, and practically leaves whenever I enter the room. I want to talk to him, at the very least apologize, but he clearly does not want to. I won’t overstep his boundaries again, I’ve done enough damage.”

“I knew it.” Much to Obi-Wan’s dismay, Padme Amidala’s voice spoke up from behind him. Obi-Wan covered his face in his hands and sunk into his chair as far as he could. 

“Not to worry, Obi-Wan, your secret is safe with me.” Padme placed a hand on his shoulder and smiled down at him.

“You are not the one I am worried about.” He shared a knowing look with the Senator, unwilling to reveal her relationship with Anakin unless she wanted it to be known to the small group. A small look of surprise crossed her face, before settling into a grateful look. Obi-Wan was glad for the years of politics under her belt that she was able to have the “ _Anakin and I are married”_ confirmation with him without actually putting it into words. He did not think he could handle the stress of it right now. 

“We both know Ani can’t keep a secret to save his life.”

Obi-Wan covered a laugh. Part of what had sold his fake death was not telling his former padawan about the plan. Anakin thought far too highly of himself to maintain a lie when it was not his own skin on the line. Obi-Wan sighed and glanced between his friends, now turned into the few people he could ask advice from without worry of judgment. 

“I don’t know what to do.” He attempted to keep an iron fist on the raw emotions surging upward in their new found security, but they forced their way through. A comm beeping near him forced his face out of the hiding spot behind his hands. Padme glanced down at the device in confusion.

“I apologize, Captain Rex is calling.”

“No need, Padme, I’m sure it’s important.” Obi-Wan positioned himself out of view from the holo, so that he would not interrupt whatever the call was about. Obi-Wan assumed it would be Captain Rex asking if Padme had a moment to speak to Anakin.

“Captain Rex, to what do I owe the pleasure?” Padme’s even voice clearly conveyed a code to Rex that she was not alone, his small blue figure adjusted his stance to a more formal look.

“Senator, if you have a moment?” 

“Rex, feel free to speak freely, we are among friends.” The small figure nodded but gripped at his helmet awkwardly. Obi-Wan glanced at the senator, impressed with the depth of communication she had established with the captain to communicate so much in so few words. They must speak more often than he had realized. Among friends, but not alone. Rex could be less formal but not completely open with her secrets. 

“Skywalker is holed up in his room working on some project with R2, and I can’t find General Kenobi anywhere, do you know where he is?”

“Of course I do, Rex, he’s with me.” Padme moved to sit next to Obi-Wan.

“Sorry to worry you, Captain. I can guess that the message I asked Anakin to give everyone of my whereabouts was not delivered.”

“You would be correct, sir.” Rex paused for a moment, clearly glancing at something in the room ahead of him. 

“I think it would be best if you returned as soon as you have finished up your business there, sir.” 

“I see. I can be back there in a few hours, Rex.”

“Thank you, sir.” He saluted Obi-Wan and gave Padme a slight bow of his head before he disconnected. 

~~~~~~~

Rex was immediately hit in the face with the closest object Cody could find, in this case a pillow, when the call ended.

“Why did you do that?” Cody’s voice was muffled as he laid face down on his bed. 

“It’s for your own good, _di’kut,_ you two need to hash this out already.”

“I already told you, Rex, there’s nothing to hash out. It’s done.” Cody sat up in the bed, grabbing his datapad so that he could ignore his brother further. Rex threw the pillow back at him. 

“Come on, how bad can it be. At the very least do it for my sake, it was annoying enough with you two making heart eyes at each other and now I have to deal with the _pining_ because you two made out on the way back from a mission.”

Cody froze in the middle of typing, _Obi-Wan had been looking at him?_ No. Rex was mistaken. Cody had thoroughly ruined his chances with the man. 

“—- either way as soon as you two talk, the better. How difficult can it be? It’s not like you…” Rex trailed off and glanced at his brother. 

“You never actually told me what happened, I just kind of assumed from the state of Kenobi’s neck.”

Cody stared intently at his datapad. 

“ _Vod._ Did you—“

“It’s impolite to kiss and tell.”

“I know but, _Kote_ , did you _fuck_ him?”

Cody sighed and put his datapad down, before he could even reply Rex was already talking over him. 

“You did? Holy kriff, Codes you’re in it now.” Rex was starting to wear a path into the floor with all of his pacing. 

“It just.. happened. This is why I didn’t want you to call around, if he wants to tell me something he will do it himself.”

“Did you miss the whole part about Skywalker having a message for you and not delivering it? You were right there, vod.”

“It wasn’t for _me_ it was for everyone.”

“Listen, you aren’t the only one with your head up your—“

“Stop it.”

“This is why I told you not to go on that last mission, I knew it wasn’t a good idea.”

“Oh, are you suddenly my superior officer?”

“No, but you don’t even talk to him anyhow.”

Cody gave Rex an annoyed look. He took a moment to consider his next words carefully.

“I’m not sure how we got there, short of my own misguided and selfish actions. I don’t want to hurt him again. If he doesn’t want to have a personal relationship with me anymore, I need to respect that and give him his space. It’s not my place to tell someone I’ve hurt when I am forgiven…” Cody trailed off as Rex gave him a scalding look. 

“ _Vod,_ that’s banthashit.” 

“No, Rex, it’s not! I messed up, okay? He came back, I had a second chance, and I just threw it away!”

“ _Vod_.”

“No! The way things are now, it’s all my fault. I pushed him too far and took advantage of him.”

“ _Vod, Kote,_ the general is his own man, he would have told you to stop. He _would have_ stopped you.”

“He’s my _superior officer_ , Rex.” Cody snapped. “I could be sent back to Kamino for reconditioning for this. Force, they could even _decommission_ me!” 

“Cody, he wouldn’t--”

“Rex, I care about him too much to lose him again. I can’t ruin this, whatever we have left.” 

Rex paused to study him for a moment.

“It took him dying for you to realize you loved him?”

“I-” Cody stopped. _What?_

“Cody, you know as well as I that you can’t push a Jedi into anything they don’t want to do. Especially _our jetti_. Let me know when you get your head out of your ass and I’ll help you paint the armor you want to give him.” 

Cody sat there in a shocked silence as his brother simply raised his arms and walked out of his room.

_What._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What is love without pain


	4. Trikayc

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rex does his duty as a little brother to meddle in the business of Cody’s love life. Hopefully to Cody’s benefit, or Rex is about to have a big storm coming.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *walks in months later with an update* hey kids

Luckily, in Cody’s opinion, before his general had even returned they were launched into another mission. An easy one at that, the 501st pulled the 212th to lend a hand in clearing out a recently occupied town that had been covered by an avalanche. They had done a great job at driving out the Separatists, but moving out tonnes of snow was a tall order for battleworn men. Cody at least had some solace that he could continue avoiding his general, it was much easier to lead smaller groups of cleaning crews than it was to order the entire battalion. 

Cody threw himself into the work. It was better to be shoveling snow en mass than it was to deal with his own emotions. He focused on his movements. Pushing the shovel down, kicking it in, lifting the heavy load, chucking it into the hovering container next to him. He had spaced out his small group of men around him so that they were not in each other’s way, but worked towards a common goal: clearing a path to the town's small hospital. The snow gear he wore felt overbearing, and he had already taken off as much as he could safely. Even with the hard labor, he was still at risk of freezing in the sub zero temperatures this region of the planet regularly maintained. The locals had gear more suited to the work, which they had offered to the men several times, but Cody had not wanted to borrow the only belongings they had access to when their town was submerged in snow. 

They worked through most of the day, his group successfully clearing a path to the hospital and making it accessible to the townspeople. Cody made sure to check in with his group, made sure they made their way to where they had set up camp to get a good meal and find where they were staying for the night. The 501st had not planned to stay as long as they were, and the 212th were unfortunately not supplied to cover everyone. But they had enough to make it work for a few cycles, even up to a week if they were pressed. A resupply ship had not been put into consideration, as their current mission was not considered critical to the war effort. Cody tried not to let that bother him, he knew the council was not completely in charge of decisions, but it certainly felt like a slap in the face to help out a town only when it benefited _the war_. 

Cody let his body autopilot him towards the makeshift mess tent, nodding towards his men as they passed, not entirely looking where he was going. A familiar chuckle of laughter caught his attention and he glanced up to see his ge— General Kenobi talking to a few members of the 501st, the entire group clearly having worked hard. Even Kenobi looked exhausted, and Cody knew without asking that he had overworked himself even with the aid of the force and his lightsaber. He allowed himself a few moments to take in the _jetti._ He hated to admit it, but he missed him. He missed their late night office hours working on reports together, he missed the ease he had talking to him about… anything. They had regularly had meals together, Cody knowing that it was one of the few ways he could get the man to eat consistently without shoving food down his throat. Cody wasn’t sure how long he stood there, but clearly long enough for the man to spot him in the distance, staring at him. Cody made a few steps forward to act like he had not been just, staring at his general.

When his eyes connected with his generals, he felt a wave of happiness that did not belong to him flood over him, making him shiver visibly. He was ready to blame his reaction on the cold, but it was suddenly cut off from him just as soon as it had arrived. It made Cody stop in his tracks, in an attempt to orient himself.

Had that been from… _Obi-Wan?_

Cody glanced back up at the man, who was now turned away. What had that been? Cody had felt Obi-Wan through the force before, but never that strong. When Obi-Wan’s eyes turned back to meet his own, a shy smile appeared on his face and Cody could see him force his hand down in an aborted attempt to wave toward him. Cody certainly did not turn tail and walk as fast as he could away. Even if it did look that way. He couldn’t deal with whatever that was right now. 

——

Obi-Wan made his way quickly to Rex to find out his sleeping arrangements, once they had figured out their supplies would force them to double up. He was not naive enough to assume he would bunk with Anakin, especially when Ahsoka had accompanied them on this easy job. Obi-Wan had requested something away from the front lines, to give everyone a break from the fighting. It absolutely was not seeing if a certain commander would be with him. Of course he wouldn’t, he would be with one of the vode. Rex spotted him before he was even close enough to call out a greeting. 

“General.” Rex handed a bed roll to him, which Obi-Wan gladly took, he never did well with the cold. 

“Thank you, Captain. Might I inquire as to where I’ll be sleeping this evening?”

He didn’t miss the fraction of a grin that appeared on the man's face before the captain cleared out his throat and handed him a roughly drawn map.

“Down here, sir.” Rex pointed to a tent set a bit away from the rest of the group, and Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow at the man. “With Commander Cody.”

Obi-Wan had been curious as to why Rex had personally seen to the sleeping arrangements of the entire 501st and 212th, he seemed to have his own plan as to get a certain commander talking to a certain Jedi again. 

“Rex,” he cleared his throat a bit awkwardly, “no offense but I don’t think this is the best idea. I seriously doubt the Commander wants to—“

“He misses you, sir.”

Obi-Wan closed his mouth and considered the flimsi in front of him. He opened his mouth to argue but quickly felt the words die on the tip of his tongue. He did want to see Cody, this is what he had hoped for. He shouldn’t hope for things to work out but— He nodded mutely at the captain and headed for the tent. 

_Little gods, I hope this works out._

——

It was easy to miss dinner when he completely avoided their temporary mess. He only remembered to stumble back toward their tent encampment because of Rex’s incessant comming, he had even thrown in a threat of bunking him with a shiney if he didn’t get his shebs back there pronto. Cody grumbled to himself. He knew they had to double up with tents, they had had a limited supply of items rated for freezing temperatures on this planet, and it was in their best interests to share for warmth anyhow. Cody was thankful enough that Rex did not threaten him with sharing a tent with Skywalker. Cody might just choose to sleep outside if it came to it. He avoided Rex for just a bit longer by stopping over at the ‘freshers, he didn’t want to be completely disgusting when he was about to be in close living quarters with someone. 

He hardly had the chance to search for his brother when Rex met him outside the ‘freshers and shoved a bedroll into his arms.

“Stop avoiding me, di’kut, what are you going to do? Sleep outside?”

“Depends, where did you put me?” The banthashit eating grin Rex gave him told him enough. He sighed and glared at him.

“ _Vod_ -“

“Oh, you want to do this here?” He gestured toward many of the men walking around them, and absolutely within earshot of them. “Because we can do this here and let everyone know why you’ve got a stick up your shebs about bunking with Kenobi—“

“Enough.” Cody clutched the bed roll tightly, knocking his brother upside the head with it. “Ass.”

“Good luck!” 

Cody rolled his eyes and hoped Rex wasn’t making a big mistake. He was glad the tent was so far away, he had time to collect his thoughts. He felt a bit bad for how he had been so blatantly avoiding his commanding officer, his general, his friend, his… whatever he was to him. Cody hadn’t exactly sorted that out yet. He had spent so much time stuck in his anger he had not considered what Kenobi had been going through. What did Cody expect him to do, go against orders for a mission over possibly upsetting his clone commander? He could already hear his generals chiding voice about belittling himself. Obi-Wan did as he was ordered, just as Cody would have done. They had all gotten osik orders in the past, from commanding officers that did not know what they were doing, or who were purposefully out to make their life hell. Cody couldn’t begrudge him for doing his duty. Well, clearly he could, a little bit. He felt a little justified in his anger when he had seen how Skywalker had reacted. At least Cody was above pouting _in front of_ Kenobi. Skywalker has forgiven his former master quickly, he tended to react at high temperatures and burn out fast. He acted irrationally and forgave quickly, for the most part. Cody wouldn’t admit to having a temper, but he at least kept a lid on it better. That was his job. He needed to appear perfect. 

He wasn’t exactly sure when it had happened, but he knew he had fallen for Obi-Wan long before his ”death.” Cody hated when Rex was right. He bottled up his emotions for later, constantly, they didn’t have time during a war to deal with _feelings._ Especially if he needed to work with the person those feelings were about. He wasn’t sure how much time passed, but he suddenly found himself in front of their shared tent. He hesitated at the entrance. What if Obi-Wan didn’t want him there? Did Rex even tell him who he was sharing with tonight? He pushed his anxiety down for a moment and opened the flap to duck into the tent. 

Obi-Wan sat cross legged at the furthest end of the space, eyes closed. Meditating, then. At least Cody could put off their initial encounter for a few more moments. Obi-Wan had no doubt sensed his presence. Cody knew better than to assume he wasn’t aware of his surroundings while he was in this state. Cody quickly took off his armor, not wanting to underdress under the man's watchful eyes. He piled his armor the best he could off to the side. Glancing at the space before him, he realized there was plenty of space for him to distance himself from the man. But— Obi-Wan always ran cold, that osik of a jetti undoubtedly refused extra layers. Cody sighed and layered his bedroll with Obi-Wans. Taking them apart to make a much larger sleeping space, that still provided the warmth the bedrolls supplied. He was glad they were easy to connect. He didn’t want to push a boundary, but he wasn’t about to let the di’kut freeze over pride. Cody laid down, still leaving plenty of space for the other man to keep his distance, but at least they shared a layer of warmth. He sighed and ran a hand down his face. Why was he so anxious about this? They had shared bedding before, in almost exactly this situation. This was how he had taught Obi-Wan that the bedrolls could interconnect like this, something he did with his vod fairly often when the situation called for it. 

Cody laid there, stuck in his thoughts, for some time. He started to wonder how long Obi-Wan was going to meditate for. He often attempted to use meditation as an excuse not to get any real sleep, something about being one with the force or some other osik excuse he had on hand that Cody refused to believe. He was always tired the days after he skipped out on actual sleep. Cody raised his head a bit to glance at the man who was— oh. Obi-Wan’s head was tilted forward. His posture slumped. He had fallen asleep where he sat. Cody smiled. That had not happened in awhile, he usually roused himself in Cody’s presence, but he had walked into Obi-Wan’s rooms on a few occasions where the man was supposed to meet him somewhere after meditating and never showed. Only for Cody to find him asleep in a very similar pose. It was hard to be annoyed at the Jedi, when Cody knew how little sleep the man successfully got in a week. Cody moved the cover aside, standing quietly and tip-toeing over. 

“Obi-Wan. It’s time to sleep.” Cody cupped his cheek, which Obi-Wan leaned into heavily, a tired _Hmm?_ as his only reply. 

“Come on, then.” As gently as he could, Cody tilted Obi-Wan into his arms, lifting him easily.

“You need to eat more.” Obi-Wan simply settled into his hold with a sigh. Well, they had not done this before. Cody had only ever woken him up, afraid that he would be disturbing something important if he touched the other man. Right now, it didn’t seem so bad though. Cody kicked the covers aside, so that it would be easier to get Obi-Wan situated after he put him down. The di’kut still wore his boots, so Cody needed to take care of that before he let him sleep properly. He ended up placing him mostly in the middle, Obi-Wan only making a slight noise of complaint at the loss of Cody’s arms around him. He deftly removed the man's boots, as well as the belt that likely cut into the jetti’s sides. Taking off his outer tunics seemed a _bit_ too forward, so if he was uncomfortable he would have to deal with them later. Obi-Wan could probably use the extra layers anyhow, Cody could still feel some cold seeping into the tent, despite the extra protections layering it. 

Cody climbed in next to him, a bit worried about invading the sleeping man's space, only to immediately have arms pulling him close. Obi-Wan tucked himself into Cody’s side, nestling his face into Cody’s neck. His nose was like ice on Cody’s warm skin. Cody froze for a moment, his hands slightly raised in confusion. But Obi-Wan let out a content sigh and he couldn’t help settling his hands on the sleeping man. He felt… a lot better actually. He was half glad that they didn’t have a chance to talk just yet, this was doing wonders in itself at healing some of the wounds Cody still blindly nursed. He wasn’t angry anymore. He was still a bit hurt, but he knew he could work through that too. Cody hugged Obi-Wan tightly to him for a moment before letting out his own sigh of contentment. This would probably be the best sleep he would get in months. 

——

Cody woke several times through the night. Each time double checking that Obi-Wan was still within arms reach, happily discovering that the other man still slept within his arms. He had only moved out of his hold once, and Cody had taken advantage of the change in positions to rest his hand onto Obi-Wan’s chest. The steady _thump thump_ he could feel eased his anxiety immensely. Each time Cody was able to fall back to sleep soundly, reassured that Obi-Wan had not disappeared sometime in the night. 

Cody woke slowly this time. It took him several moments to figure out how he was laying.He felt rested, for the first time since… since before Obi-Wan had “died.” A hand was gently carting through his hair, reminding him that the warm pillow he was laying on was actually Obi-Wan. His hand still laid solidly on the other man's chest, right above his heart. The steady thump of the man's heart was still a welcome presence. Cody let out a sigh, he didn’t want to move just yet. 

“You don’t have to move if you don’t want to, I’m quite comfortable.” Obi-Wan spoke softly, just above his head. Cody’s head rested on the man's shoulder, he could not be as comfortable as he claimed with how heavy Cody knew himself to be. Cody reached for Obi-Wan’s free hand, lacing them together. 

“ _Vor'e_.” 

Cody waited several moments, collecting his thoughts. As comfortable as this was, they needed to talk. He had a lot to apologize for. He half knew what Obi-Wan was going to say, he always wanted to take the burden of the universe onto his shoulders and Cody was not going to let him this time. 

“I have some things I need to say, but I think if you interrupt I won’t be able to articulate it well. Okay?”

Obi-Wan squeezed his hand reassuringly. 

“First, I must tell you I've been the most complete and utter ass, and I’m sorry for that. _Trikayc._ I haven’t once asked you how you have been doing throughout this entire situation when I know for a fact that most of the people you care for have been in varying degrees of pissed off with you. That’s unfair. You’re my friend and I haven’t been there for you. I know Skywalker's temper even on his good days can be a lot to deal with.” He glanced up at the man, who happened to have a small grin on his face. 

“I also heard he kneed you in the crotch. I bet that hurt.”

“He has very sharp knees.” They both chuckled. 

“I’m still angry, but it’s not with you. It’s not your fault you got that osik assignment. I wish you had handled it differently but, that’s in the past now and we can’t do anything about that. I was upset because I had mourned you. For a long time. I had finally started to accept that you were truly gone and then you were suddenly shoved back into my life as if nothing had happened. I don’t really know how else you could have come back that wouldn’t have hurt just as much. But it truly felt like salt on the wound. They wouldn’t even let me see you, did you know that?” Cody sighed and buried his face into Obi-Wan’s tunic. 

“You’ve never made me feel like just another clone, but they certainly proved to me that day that I was. I wasn’t even on the planet when it happened, and I’m supposed to protect you. Then they didn’t even tell me till long after they had had your funeral. They invited the Duchess of Mandalore but your own Commander wasn’t even told—“

Cody had to stop. He took several breaths before pulling Obi-Wan tightly to him. 

“Like I said. What’s done is done. I’m just glad you’re here with me now and there’s no use having my shebs in a twist about it any longer. Rex has already pointed that out to me _several_ times.”

He could feel Obi-Wan’s smile as he pressed a kiss onto his head. 

“Thank you, my dear. Although I really feel like I should be the one—“

“Obi-Wan.”

“...Fine. But I do want to say something. You’re right. I should have handled it differently. Sending you away felt wrong, but they convinced me it would be for the best. I actually sort of think if you all had been there when Anakin followed me that ‘Rako Hardeen’ may not have made it out.”

Cody stilled for a moment. Obi-Wan was right. If Cody had been the one to chase after his jetti’s supposed killer? He would not have stopped until the end. 

“I don’t want to think about that.”

“Me neither. Regardless, I’m glad we never had to deal with that. I’d prefer to never have to do something like that again, but unfortunately I have sworn an oath to be at the Council’s disposal. In the future, I can at least promise that I won’t leave you in the dark about something like this, okay? _Ori’haati._ ”

“ _Vor'e, ner jetti._ ” 

“There’s one more thing I should mention. Uh,”

Cody shifted slightly so he could see Obi-Wan’s face fully, and noticed a slight blush on his cheeks. 

“I think you may have noticed before, but we may have— Oh I don’t know how to say this without feeling like I’m about to be scolded.”

“Out with it, Obi-Wan, I won’t be upset with you.”

Obi-Wan took a moment to clear his throat, but still covered his face with a hand. “We appear to have formed a bond. Within the force. It’s why you could sense my feelings so clearly earlier. I’ve been trying to keep it closed off so you aren’t bombarded, I don’t know what it’s like for someone who isn’t force sensitive. I don’t want to overwhelm you. I’m sorry.”

Obi-Wan looked at him sheepishly. A force bond? Cody knew that the man had one with Anakin, as a training bond and later a bond that they could keep tabs on each other with. But he had never heard of one being made with someone who wasn’t a Jedi. 

“Can we talk to each other through it?”

“Sort of. It’s mostly, feelings. Simple concepts. I can express basic emotions through it to form a thought but unless you knew what I was referencing to begin with—“

“I’ve never had trouble making sense of your hand gestures before.”

“This would be a bit different— hey I know how to use basic hand commands!”

“Sure you do.”

Obi-Wan smacked him lightly on the arm, making Cody chuckle. 

“Don’t close it off.”

“Are you sure? I’m not sure if this is a good place to test this.”

“We can try it for a little while, and if it’s too much we can hold off till we are back up on the ship. Okay?”

“Okay.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> vor'e - thank you  
> Di’kut - idiot  
> Trikayc- Sorry  
> Ori’haati- i swear/i promise  
> Ner jetti - my jedi  
> Osik- shit

**Author's Note:**

> Mando'a Key:
> 
> jetti - Jedi  
> di'kut - idiot  
> vod - brother  
> ner jetti - my Jedi  
> gar'ner - you're mine  
> kriff - basically fuck  
> Huut’un - coward  
> ni ceta - groveling apology   
> Gar'haati - you promise  
> Gedet'ye - please


End file.
